"You're not the only one who can make that claim, Dante," Gregor replied coldly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Your actions have consequences, and you should be aware that we are not without our allies." The Conqueror's eyes flickered briefly to Sero before returning to Dante. "Let's hope that we can find a way to work together, despite our differences."

Dante nodded slowly, his expression unreadable. "I understand your point. Let's hope that we can find common ground and work together. For now, there are more pressing matters to discuss. Since we've established the truth regarding the origins of monster outbreaks and the rise of Catastrophes, where should we begin to prepare?"

"I think we should start by gathering more information," Amaya suggested. "We need to know what caused this change, and whether there are any other factors that we should be aware of. It's possible that there are other forces at work behind the scenes."

"What we do know is that Culling is one of the driving forces behind all of this happening," Gregor continued, seemingly relieved to move on. "And while we aren't getting any closer to the truth of who or what is behind it, we can at least focus on finding a way to stop them from continuing."

"We should also consider the possibility that this is not the work of a single entity," Dante added, leaning back in his chair. "It could be a coordinated effort by multiple parties with conflicting goals. In that case, we need to be prepared for a much more complex situation."

"Should we call upon the other S-rank elites?" Ione asked. "They might have some insights or information that could help us."

"They're spread out all around the world," Kit made a face. "I don't even know where our guildmaster is."

"It might be best to start with those closest to us," Gregor suggested. "We can always send word to the others if needed. For now, we should focus on what we can do here." The Conqueror gestured to his Janitors. "I can call upon the remaining three in my branch to help us."

"The Pentagram will start to inform the other guilds as well," Dante added. "They might not be able to send their entire guild force, but they could offer some support."

J'takk held up her hand. "Hold on. There were two separate incidents at Kassel's ceremony, yeah? Anyone figure out why exactly?"

"I have some theories," Dante replied. "The first attack, where the hospital was, could have been a distraction to draw our attention away from the second one. It's possible that Culling wanted us to focus on the initial confrontation while they were busy with their real target."

"At Sero's ceremony?" Meredith rumbled. "Who or what was their target there, if not to invoke the so-called Catastrophe candidate?"

"We don't know for sure," Enzo said, frowning. "But it explains why Culling didn't push for the hospital that strongly. We cleared out the area pretty easily, only to find the main event at the stadium entrance."

"There was also a restrictive barrier placed at the scene," Gregor recalled. "It wasn't created by the Catastrophe candidate, nor did I ever find the suspect behind it, but it was designed to prevent any further intrusion. It seems that Culling wanted to contain the incident as much as possible."

"So, to sum it up, Culling enacted two different instances, one with the goal of leading away as many strong individuals as possible," Kaizo rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Assuming that they were the ones who casted the barrier to prevent anyone from interfering, it would seem as though they wanted to artificially help the Catastrophe candidate evolve into a real one, correct?"

Everyone nodded and murmured their agreement.

"Let's say that that was their original goal from the start. It doesn't make much sense. First, why would they launch two separate attacks so near each other? Wouldn't it make sense for them to create two incidents miles apart from each other? And the second thing is, why would they do this knowing such an important event was being held, guaranteed to be heavily monitored by armed forces and powerful groups?"

Dante leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. "Maybe they weren't entirely in control of the situation from the start. Maybe they underestimated the forces that would be arrayed against them, or maybe they were counting on us to fail in our efforts to contain the incidents. Either way, it seems that their plans have gone wrong, and now we're left dealing with the consequences."

Kaizo shook his head. "From what we know about them, they're meticulous in everything they do. What seems like a failure to us may seem like a success to them. So let's assume they purposefully planned for things to go the way they did. Enzo stated that the hospital attack was subjugated too easily. Why attack there at all if Culling never truly planned for anything to happen?"

"The patients," Amaya suddenly whispered, her face paling. "Casey, a boy we know, had a grandmother pass away right before Culling took over the hospital. He also said that multiple patients all suddenly passed away as well."

"What are you saying?" Gregor asked.

"You don't mean... that Culling never planned to attack the hospital in the first place?" Kit slowly began. "Then... why would they be there?"

"Offerings," Sero's blood ran cold as he recalled the shriveled up bodies of the citizens at the front of the stadium entrance. "They didn't attack the hospital, they were there to harvest the sick and the dying. They didn't care about the survivors, they just wanted the bodies. They intended to sacrifice them all along. Malice, the Catastrophe candidate, said something similar."

"Wait, you think they were trying to sacrifice people to help Malice evolve?" Dante asked, clearly taken aback by the revelation. "But it doesn't make sense, since they would've been near the stadium instead of the hospital."

"Or maybe they never really planned on helping Malice evolve at all," Kaizo murmured quietly. "I hope that I'm wrong, but there's a possibility that Sero's right about them only needing to harvest bodies. That would explain why their siege on the hospital was so lackluster, and why the incident with Malice was so abrupt. They may be toying with us, trying to cause as much confusion as possible before we realize their true intentions."

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Then what?" Dante asked, frowning. "What do we do now?"

"We wait," the Archivist took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "We have no way of tracking them down, nor clues to what their next move will be. All we know is that they are harvesting the weak, so the best course of action is to station security to watch every hospital in the 25th Zone. That goes for the rest of the other 34 Zones as well."

"But won't that just spread our resources too thin?" Kit asked.

"It's a risk we have to take," Kaizo answered, his voice firm. "We can't afford to let another outbreak that bad occur again. As for the hospitals in the other Zones, we'll have to rely on their local security forces and guilds to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. We can't possibly monitor them all ourselves."

"I agree with Kaizo," Dante leaned forward, gazing at everyone. "The Pentagram will monitor the hospitals within their respective Zones. In the meantime, we'll need to keep a close eye on any information that comes in. We don't know their next move, but we can't afford to be caught off guard again. Gregor, you and your Janitors will be in charge of the security forces. Kit, you'll be working with communications to ensure that everyone is up to date on the latest developments. Amaya, continue to keep the association in the loop."

As they divided up the tasks, Sero couldn't shake the feeling that they were missing something. There had to be more to Culling's actions than just harvesting bodies.

"We'll meet again if anything happens, but for now, keep watch. And Sero," Dante gazed at him coolly. "Don't forget what I said."

The group broke up, each going their separate ways. Sero couldn't help but feel a weight on his shoulders as he walked out of the association conference room. He knew that Dante trusted him for now, but the feeling of being watched was unsettling.

Gregor and the Janitors said their goodbyes before they departed first, leaving Kit, Sero, and Amaya alone.

"Need me to teleport you back?" Kit purred to Sero.

"No, thanks," Sero shook his head. "I can teleport myself."

The Paradox pouted, giving him a sad look. "I knew I shouldn't have shown you my Cat Paradox skill."

"It's not that," Sero assured her. "I just... need to be alone right now. To think."

Kit pouted again, but nodded. "Okay, well... be careful. And if you need anything, just let me know." She left, heading into an empty room that Sero assumed would give her privacy to teleport.

He suddenly became aware of Amaya awkwardly shifting beside him. "You... you okay, Sero?" she asked softly.

He took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... thinking about everything that's happened."

Amaya gave him a sympathetic look. "I understand. It's been a lot to take in, hasn't it?" She paused, biting her lip. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but... what do you think Culling's real goal is?"

Sero considered her question. "I don't know," he admitted. "Harvesting bodies doesn't seem like it would be enough to explain their actions."

Amaya nodded in agreement. "It's like they're... collecting something. And they're doing it in a very specific way. They only seem to target those who are close to dying, or who have been infected with an illness."

Sero froze. "Wait, what was that last part you said?"

"They only seem to target those who are close to dying, or who have been infected with an illness?" Amaya repeated. "Like they're... getting something from them specifically?"

Sero's heart began to pound in his chest, and his mind raced with possibilities. "It couldn't be... could it...?"

"What?" Amaya asked, her curiosity piqued.

"I'm not sure yet," Sero shook his head. "I'll need to check it out to confirm if I'm right, but I hope I’m not."

"Oh, ok." The Spellblade hesitated for a moment. "I know you said you were going to teleport back, but would you rather I give you a ride instead?"

Sero looked at her gratefully. "That would be great, actually. I could use the rest." He followed her into the hallway. "Thanks, Amaya."

They made their way through the bustling halls of the association, the sounds of people talking and footsteps echoing around them. Sero's mind raced with the possibilities, trying to piece together the fragments of information they had. There was something he had to check, but he decided to do that tomorrow.

As they approached the exit, Amaya glanced at him worriedly. "You're really thinking hard about this, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Sero admitted, his brow furrowed. "There's a nagging feeling that the stuff I'm thinking about are all related, but I don't know how or why."

They exited the building and stepped out into the cool night air. The city around them was bustling with activity, neon signs casting a harsh glow on the pavement. The pair reached Amaya's sports car and got in, falling silent as they began to drive back to Sero's penthouse.

"So," Amaya began, breaking the silence as she turned onto a busy boulevard, "what was it that you needed to check?"

"Oh, just somewhere tomorrow," Sero replied vaguely.

Amaya glanced over at Sero, noting the tension in his shoulders. "Hey, you can trust me. I may not understand everything you're going through, but I'll listen if you need to talk."

"Yeah, I know," Sero replied, turning to look out the window.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing wrong," Sero assured her, trying to keep his tone light. "It's just... I'm not sure if it's anything important. Probably just a wild goose chase, really."

"That's not what I meant. Is there something wrong with us?"

Sero turned to look at Amaya, taken aback by the sudden shift in topic. Her expression was sincere, and there was a hint of vulnerability in her eyes. He hesitated for a moment, unsure how to respond. "No, there's nothing wrong with us," he finally said. "Sorry, I didn't mean for you to feel like there was."

"It feels like you've started distancing yourself."

"Me? If anything, I was thinking you were the one doing that."

Amaya frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You've been avoiding eye contact, haven't texted me at all, and generally just didn't interact with me unless it was necessary." Sero said, his voice softening. "It's not that I'm upset or anything, it's just... I don't know. I thought we were still friends."

They drove in silence for a few moments before Amaya spoke up. "I'm sorry. I've just been busy with work and other things." She glanced over at Sero, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I didn't mean to make you feel like I was pulling away."

Sero shrugged, trying to play it cool. "It's alright. I understand." But he didn't sound convinced, even to himself.

Amaya sighed, wishing she could find the words to explain herself better. "I just... I've never been in a real relationship before, either."

They pulled up to the entrance of Sero's building, and Amaya turned off the engine. She glanced over at Sero, her expression softening. "I'm not trying to push you away, Sero. I just... I don't want to mess things up between us."

"It's fine," Sero sighed, unbuckling his seat belt. "I know you're not. I just... I don't know. I guess almost dying again really made me view things a lot differently."

He climbed out of the car, his movements stiff and awkward. "I'll talk to you later, okay?" He closed the car door and made his way up to his penthouse, his mind racing with all the things he needed to do.